


lend me your ears

by bbpeach



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Deaf Character, F/M, Fluff, Selectively mute, Wholesome, tooth-aching fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26945413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbpeach/pseuds/bbpeach
Summary: Having to wear hearing aids almost her entire life, it was Hoshino's habit to mute the world whenever she felt like it. However, upon befriending Bokuto, she realizes that some people are worth listening to.
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Original Character(s), Bokuto Koutarou/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

"IS THIS YOURS?" Bokuto asked the short-haired girl fishing her hands through her skirt pockets.

Not seeing her react, Bokuto wondered how he didn't get heard. With the bright pink wallet on his right hand, he taps her shoulder with left.

"Yes?" Hoshino mouthed as she turned around. 

Her bangs slightly swept to the sides and her eyes widened upon seeing the tall boy. She had to look up even, and she felt much smaller as he took a step forward. She tapped on her ear and raised her brows in her inquiry.

"Is this yours, Hoshi-san (star)?" he repeated his question, paired with a raised brow.

She looked at his hand and spotted her wallet embellished with keychains. "Yes," she mouthed and nodded.

"I found it on the floor," he explained as he handed it back to her.

"Thank you," she muttered softly and glanced at the ground, visibly shy and nervous.

"What?" 

Hoshino bit her lip before forcing a subtle smile. She looked up at him once again and placed her wallet back on her skirt pocket. Afterwards, she lifted her hand on chest level and flattened her left hand. She taps her left with her right, mouthing a "Thank you."

"Oh, thank you," Bokuto murmured, slightly nodding his head.

He copied what she just did, flattening his left and tapping it with his right. "This is thank you?" he confirmed, looking fairly amused in learning something new.

"Yes," she mouthed and did a thumbs up. 

"Ah, I see. By the way, you're from my class, right?" Bokuto continued asking while she grabbed her wallet to buy a drink from the vending machine.

She nodded in response and they heard two loud drops from the vending machine. She crouched down to get the two banana milk drinks and with shaky hands, offered him the other. "For me?" he asked with a bright smile. "Yes," she answered in a hushed voice.

Their break ended soon and they went back in the classroom. She sat a few seats away from him and Bokuto later found himself stealing glances of her before the lecture began. He also noticed her fiddle with her ear, which got his curiosity. 

Hoshino turned off her hearing aids again, muting her senses from the volume of the world. Finally in peace, she grabbed a notebook from her bag and started doodling as she waited for class to start. As usual, she'd only turn them on again during class. 

"Hey, Bokuto-kun, are you friends with Hoshino?" Bokuto heard his seatmate.

"What?"

"Hoshino, the deaf girl over there," he clarified.

"Ah, she's really cute. She just transferred two weeks ago, right?" 

"Wait, cute? Well, uh, yes, she did."

"What about her? She's deaf?" Bokuto asked.

"Yeah, she has hearing aids on. Anyway, she's a little weird, haven't you heard the rumors?" he explained, "I don't think you'd want to be friends with her."

Hours later, the school bell signaled the long-awaited end of the last subject, marking the end of the school week. Hoshino, being part of the cleaners assigned for the day, stayed behind and proceeded with her duties.

"Hoshino-san," one of her classmates called.

"Hey, Hoshino-san, can you hear us? Hey," they repeated.

Irritated with how she seemed to have ignored them, they poke her shoulder to grab her attention. It surprised the girl and she immediately turned around, then fiddled with her ear.

"Y-yes?" she mumbled.

"The volleyball team has a practice match today and we wanna cheer them on. Can you take over our work? Just for today?" they requested, though with the way they said it, it seemed more like a demand rather than a favor.

"Well?"

"No," she timidly disagreed and shook her head.

"Huh?" 

"Last week, it's the same excuse," Hoshino added in a hushed voice.

"Huh, we don't have a match today. But the basketball team does," Bokuto interrupted the conversation, trying to prevent the situation from worsening, "But that's okay, I'll help you out, Hoshi-san."

Hoshino looked up from the ground, then unto the boy approaching.

"I'm a cleaner for today too," he added.

"Then, it's, it's the basketball practice match we're going to," the girls spoke, "Is that reasonable now?"

"Fine," Hoshino finally permitted them, and the girls walk out of the classroom immediately after.

"I'll clean the windows, you can erase the writings on the board, Hoshi-san," Bokuto suggested and grabbed one of the washcloths.

"I'm Hoshino-san, Bokuto-san," she corrected, a smile slowly forming on her lips.

"Really? I really thought it was Hoshi, like, a star," Bokuto chuckles, "Sorry about that, Hoshino-san." 

"It's okay," she reassured and held the blackboard eraser.

"But doesn't Hoshi-san seem like a cool nickname?" he asked.

"It does, Bokuto-san."

"Then can I call you Hoshi-san?" 

For the first time today, Hoshino didn't bother turning off her hearing aids again.

__________________

"Hoshi-san, I'm going to my practice match now. We're done here, right?" Bokuto said as he placed the washcloths back at the drawer.

"Yes," she answered with a nod, "You train, Bokuto-san?" she tried to converse with him.

"I train?" He tilted his head. "Ah, I'm the captain and ace of the volleyball team!"

"Oh," she mouthed, fascination written all over her face, "Wow."

"Cool, right? The ace is the best!" he flaunted, smiling.

"Very cool," she agreed and nodded.

"You want to watch me play?" he offered.

She felt her heart race in nervousness upon hearing his invitation. For the two weeks she had transferred, no one bothered talking to her, and now, all of a sudden, she's making a new friend.

"You don't want to?" he asked, his smile quickly turning into a pout.

"I, I want to," she blurted out and gave him a thumbs up, though quite shaky, "I thought the volleyball team didn't have a match though."

"I just didn't want them to use us as an excuse. Anyway, let's go!" he exclaimed and grabbed his bag unto his shoulders.

She was red from ear to ear, giddy and fidgety. She went along with it and hung her bag as well, and followed him to the gym.

"Do you play sports, Hoshi-san?" he asked as they walked to the gym. Contrary to Bokuto's carefree nature, Hoshino's mind was going blank from overthinking about the situation. She worried it was some sort of prank, or that she was getting toyed with again.

"I don't," she still answered.

"Really? Then what do you do as a hobby?" he inquired. They were just a few meters away from the gym entrance, where he saw Akaashi and Suzumeda waiting.

"Akaashi! Suzumeda-san!" he called out and waves excitedly.

"Oh? He brought a girl with him?" Suzumeda whispered to Akaashi, "That's a first. Could it be?"

"Hey, is Boku-" Shirofuku asked as she exited from the gym then paused upon seeing the two. "Oh, there you are. And, Hoshino-san?" she recognized the shorter girl.

"You know each other, Yukie-chan?" Suzumeda asked.

"Yeah, we're classmates." 

"Anyway, Bokuto-san, it's almost starting," Akaashi informed.

"Yes, yes, I'll go get changed," Bokuto told him. "Also, this is Hoshi-san," he introduces.

"H-hello, I'm Hoshino Nanao," she introduces herself.

"Hello. I'm Akaashi Keiji. I'm also the vice-captain." 

"I'm Suzumeda Kaori, I'm the manager."

"She's my friend so, she can watch our practice match, right?" Bokuto asked as the five of them enter the gym.

"Yes, yes," Suzumeda permitted, "Now go get changed, Bokuto-san."

"As for you, Hoshino-san, you can watch next to us, in that bench," she added and pointed to the seat near the corner.

"Okay," she mumbled and followed the girl. "Do, do your best, Bokuto-san," she added before they parted ways. It hyped Bokuto and Akaashi took note of this in his head, "Getting cheered by his classmate energizes him."

"Are you new here?" Suzumeda asked after taking a seat next to her.

"Yes," she answered quickly.

"Oh, and you're a third year?" 

"Yes." 

"You're classmates with him, right?" 

"Yes." It was beginning to feel awkward for her, Hoshino had no idea how to keep the conversation going.

"He doesn't really bring girls to his practice, so I'm just curious. Hope you don't mind me asking, heh," she continued.

"I don't mind," Hoshino reassured. 

After Bokuto got changed, the game started and Hoshino observed the other team, Nekoma. She was also clueless with volleyball, any sports in general actually, and every move from both teams entertained her well.

The two teams were almost equal in skill and power, but Bokuto was getting blocked more often and from afar, she could guess that his mood was rapidly changing. The burden fell on Akaashi's back and he tried to think of ways to cheer him up.

"Akaashi," Bokuto cried out his name, "How do I do a cross again?"

Akaashi quickly recognized this weakness, number 37, to be exact. 

"Should we sub him for now?" Washio suggested to the vice-captain.

"Bokuto-san, you should take a break first," Akaashi accepted the suggestion.

"Hey ace, your friend just commented on how cool you are," Suzumeda told him as she approached. Bokuto looked at Hoshino to confirm and not knowing what to do with the eye contact, she nervously showed him another thumbs up.

"Do you think that worked?" Suzumeda whispered to Akaashi, who was observing the ace's reaction.

Bokuto giggled like a child, completely out of his "emo mode." "Hey, hey, hey!" he raised his voice, and the others followed with a less enthusiastic, "hey, hey, hey."

The time-out ended shortly after and Bokuto reverted back to his usual energetic self. He was finally able to get his spikes through without getting blocked, which tripled his enthusiasm for the game. It called for trouble for Nekoma and they soon had to cut his momentum through a time-out.

"Did you see that, Hoshi-san? Cool, right?" he showed off and sat next to her.

"Yes," she answered and nodded, "Bokuto-san is very cool."


	2. anemone

The weekend finally came and Hoshino was always eager to spend hours and hours doing what she loved the most- making jewelry with her brother. Besides, the only time she'd willingly turn her hearing aids on was definitely only when with her brother.

She sat on her desk and pulled the topmost drawer to get her wire and wire-wrapping tools. She unlocked her phone, searching for references for a flower pattern to make a flower pendant.

"Nanao-nee, I have the copper," she heard her brother.

He opened the door and entered the room with a paper bag on his hand. "Oh," she mouthed, then smiled, her hand signaling to come closer.

He pulled a chair nearby and sat next to her. "A flower pendant today, right?" the small boy confirmed and placed the paper bag on the table.

She responded with a nod and carded her hand through his light brown hair.

The boy stared into his sister's phone as she scrolled through images of flowers. That's where she came across a photo of an anemone flower whose petals were white but its centers were black. As it instantly reminded her of Bokuto's black roots but white ends, a smile formed on her lips. 

He was the first person to be kind to her in Fukurodani, and now that she thought about it, she hasn't returned the favor yet.

"Let's name this, Bokuto," she told him before turning off her phone. It was a habit of her to name her works and this one was no exception.

"Why Bokuto?" he wondered.

"You don't want to?" she asked, tilting her head. 

"Well, sure, Nee-chan, let's name this one Bokuto," he simply agreed. 

"Achoo!" Meanwhile, Bokuto, as he jogged on the school grounds with his team, kept pausing to sneeze.

"Are you okay? Are you sick, Bokuto-san?" Akaashi paused as well to check on the older.

"Yes, yes," Bokuto reassured while Akaashi pulled on his pockets to grab a tissue.

"Here," he handed it to him.

"Thanks, Akaashi."

Two hours later, the Hoshino siblings finally finished the small flower pendant they were working on. It took her more time than usual to make it because she was sharing her techniques and tricks to her learning brother.

"When can we buy a chain for this one, Nee-san?" he asked while helping her organize her tools again.

"Today," she answered and pushed the drawer.

"Really? Let's buy one today?" he repeated, eyes beaming with excitement.

She nodded at him and smiled, giving him an answer.

"Great! I'll get my backpack so let's go," he told her and got out of her room. Nanaki, her brother, was always bursting with energy and it was always a breath of fresh air.

"Nanao-nee, can I borrow your hat?" he asked loudly from the other room, then rushed back to her to see her answer.

She nodded at him in response and his face brightened again. "Thanks!" he exclaimed and put it on.

She got up from her seat and stretched, then headed to her closet to get her jacket. Afterwards, she combed her short jet black hair and noticed her light brown roots showing up.

"Nanao-nee, let's go, let's go!" he excitedly said and waved at her.

She placed her comb back in the desk and walked out of the room. "Okay, let's go," she spoke and placed her wallet and keys on her pocket.

Meanwhile, Bokuto's practice ended half an hour ago and the team was on their way to a convenience store since the managers promised to treat them to some snacks.

Her small apartment wasn't too far from Fukurodani. In fact, at the moment, the art store the Hoshinos were shopping at was just a minute away from the convenience store Bokuto was in.

"Nee-san, this looks very cool," Nanaki suggested and pointed at the display before they even entered.

"Don't point," she scolded, ironically in a bashful tone still.

"Can we still get that though?" he asked.

She sighed at him before nodding, "It's Nee-san's treat just for today," she added. They usually split art expenses through their small allowance.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed.

"Oya?" she heard from afar.

"Oya oya? Hoshino? Hoshi-san?" the siblings heard their name get called and both swayed their head to the right to see who it was.

"Bokuto-san, Akaashi-san," she mumbled.

"Nee-chan, do you know them? Wait, you mean, Bokut-" the younger asked and tucked her jacket, but she interrupted.

"They're from my school," she informed in a hushed voice.

"A chibi chibi version of Hoshino," Bokuto commented, thankfully inaudibly. Hoshino Nanao was small enough, standing only 5 foot 1, but Hoshino Nanaki, her brother, was obviously much smaller, being 4 foot 11.

"H-hello," she greeted.

"Nee-chan finally has friends?" the boy gasped.

"Hello," the two tall boys greeted back, varying in enthusiasm.

"This is," she spoke in a shaky voice, "my brother."

"Hello, I'm Hoshino Nanaki, nice to meet you," the little boy introduced himself, which was followed by Akaashi's and Bokuto's.

"So, what brings you here?" Bokuto initiated a conversation.

"My sister and I make jewelry, we're getting materials," Nanaki answered in her stead, surprisingly making her flustered about her hobby. Ashamed, she tried her best to avoid eye contact, and fixated her gaze on the ground.

"That's pretty nice," Bokuto remarked.

"Bokuto-san, Akaashi-san, hurry up!" they heard the managers from a distance.

"See you around, Hoshino-san," Akaashi bid them farewell, making Bokuto say his goodbyes too.

"See you on Monday, Hoshi-san!"

She lifted her head to look at the two then shyly waved her hand. "Bye," she mouthed.

"Nee-chan, is the Bokuto-san your crush or something?" the boy bluntly asked as soon as the two disappeared from their sight.

Her eyes slightly widened upon hearing the question and panicked, shook her head speedily. "Really?"

Two days later, Hoshino prepared for another school week. She wasn't used to her new routine just yet, though it was simple. She would prepare breakfast for her and Nanaki, walk him to school, then head to hers. 

Today, Hoshino came in earlier than usual and 10 minutes before her classes began, she was already walking down the hallways, searching for her classroom. She put the world on mute again and headed straight to her seat.

She spotted Bokuto and Shorifuku talking and she panicked, should she greet and wave at them? Or is that too much? She just talked to them once, are they friends? Or is presumptuous?

"Hello, Hoshi-san!" She read Bokuto's lips and eyed on his hand waving at her. 

"G-goodmorning," she greeted back in a soft voice. She nudged her hearing aids on impulse, wanting to hear his voice.

"Good morning, Hoshi-san," Bokuto said.

"Good morning," Shirofuku greeted as well, much to her surprise.

Clumsily, she almost tripped on her seat as she tried to settle down. She unzipped her bag to get her notebook and got a glimpse of her PE uniform, reminding her of the dreadful hour of PE later. Other than her ridiculously low stamina, she hated wearing the uniform. She hated her figure and shorts emphasized her thick thighs.

After an hour of math class followed by another hour for history, it was time for PE. Hoshino had to change clothes like the rest of the class but she rarely joined them, primarily because of her hearing aids.

"Hoshino-san, you're out!" one of her classmates yelled right after a ball hit her shoulder.

"Finally," she mumbled and let out a sigh in relief.

She walked to the corner of the gym, hoping it was the best spot not to get hit by the ball. Just as she was about to turn her hearing aids again, she noticed Bokuto approach her from the crowd.

"Hoshi-san, Hoshi-san," he repeated her name. He loved the nickname he gave her as it literally meant a star.

"Yes, Bokuto-san?" she asked, raising a brow to her inquiry.

"Time for round 2 for the dodgeball, you should join us," he invited her and offered her a hand.

"Ah, I'll just watch," she rejected and looked away from his hand. However, persistently, Bokuto didn't pull away his hand yet. "Come on, it'll be fun," he insisted.

"They might hit my hearing aids," she reasoned.

"Hide behind me if you want, I'm pretty tall," he offered with a big smile. Contrary to Hoshino's quiet and reserved self, Bokuto was beaming with excitement. It was contagious. His smile, his energy, everything.

But Hoshino didn't want to be protected. "We can be the throwers instead," her tone remained shy and bashful.

"Yeah, that could work!" he gladly accepted. He extended his hand quite further towards her and with this, her cold hands his. His hand was warm; Bokuto himself was the definition of warmth.

"Bokuto-san, we're going to start now!" their classmates exclaimed. "Can you be the thrower?"

"Yup, yup. I want Hoshi-san to be the thrower too though!" They walk to the play area and unused to overhearing conversations on the sides, she focused her attention on Bokuto. 

"They're going to choose two more players as throwers, I'll be on the opposite side, is that okay?" he asked, which she responded to with an immediate nod.

"G-goodluck!" she told him, exerting an effort to sound cheerful. "You too, Hoshi-san." Bokuto dashed to the other side and stretched his arms in preparation for this round. 

The game began after a few moments and Yukimura, her partner for that side, had the ball. "You know the rules and all that, right?" he confirmed before throwing the ball.

"Yes," she said with a nod. How complicated could dodgeball get?

"Hoshi! Hoshi!" Bokuto yelled her name as he threw the ball forcefully.

Fortunately, she caught it before it flew past her and she held the ball, deciding what direction to throw it to.

"Throw it back, Hoshi! Hoshi!" he exclaimed, waving his arms enthusiastically.

Hoshino did as she was told and threw it straight to Bokuto, and the moment he had the ball, he speedily sent it to his left, making it bounce on quite a number of people. "Nice throw, Hoshi!" he complimented from a distance.

"But I didn't do anything," she muttered to herself as she gave him a nervous smile.

2 minutes had passed and only three people remained. It was much harder, of course, as they had more space to flee in. Bokuto, getting quite fired up, tried to end the game by throwing the ball rapidly. As he slammed the ball towards the other side, even Hoshino didn't see it coming. 

Fortunately, Yukimura was quick to act on his instincts and caught the ball before it thumped her head. "Don't just stand there." 

Expecting to be smacked by the ball, Hoshino already had her eyes closed, and upon hearing the other boy, peeked open an eye. "Huh?"

"Be careful."

"I'm, I'm sorry."

Bokuto's energy went down the drain after witnessing it in front of him. First, he felt his heart race as he almost slammed the ball on her face. Second, now another boy was pampering her, sort of. Well, at least that was what it looked like from his perspective. A lovey dovey scene after the guy saves the girl.

"Hey, throw the ball already!" Ueno, Bokuto's partner, called out.

The ends of Bokuto's hair slightly spiked down, signaling the start of his emo mode. The winner for that round? Definitely the other team.


End file.
